Price indication apparatus in which unit price setting is changeable from outside

ABSTRACT

A price indication apparatus comprises a computer part for making computation with respect to a measured flow quantity of fluid and a unit price per unit flow quantity, a price indication part for indicating the result of the operation in the computer part and a unit price setting changing operation part for changing a unit price set in the computer part from outside of the apparatus. The operation part for changing the unit price setting is capable of changing the unit price setting by operating a single operating rod for a horizontal sliding movement and a rotational movement about its axis by means of a single knob.

United States Patent Katakura et al. 1 Jan. 2, 1973 54 PRICE INDICATIONAPPARATUS IN 2,836,361 5/1958 Haupt ..23s/94 A WHICH UNIT PRICE SETTINGIS 3,317,129 5/1967 Berck etal CHANGEABLE FROM OUTSIDE 3,425,291 2/ 1969Sundblom ..74/348 [75] Inventors: 3 ir i z g Nishid" PrimaryExaminer-Stephen J. Tomsky t 0 0 apan Attorney-Holman8zStern 1 AssisnwTyk co L -1 K wa k NKQ 'EQ'WF' .7

ken, Japan [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Aug. 18, 1971 A price indicationapparatus comprises a computer part for making computation with respectto a mea-' [2]] Appl' "L831 sured flow quantity of fluid and a unitprice per unit flow quantity, a price indication part for indicating theCl 1 235/61 L, 7 result of the operation in the computer part and a unit[51] Int. Cl ..B67d 5/08, G06c 29/00 price setting changing operationpart for changing a Field of 3' M, 61 L1 94 A, 94 R; unit price set inthe computer part from outside of the 74/348, 345 apparatus. Theoperation part for changing the unit price setting is capable ofchanging the unit price [56] References C'ted setting by operating asingle operating rod for a UNITED STATES PATENTS horizontal slidingmovement and a rotational movement about 1ts axis by means of a smgleknob. 2,024,115 12/1935 Schwartz ..235/94 A- 2,178,229 /1939 Hazard..74/348 8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures x 7"* Q" o 120% g 0;: 0 I -v f\L/EL .;4 flay E 42 a :7:

o o ,5! 0 i o E El v 40 59 II I unii (6 45 1 PATENTEDJAN ems 3.708.113

SHEET 1 OF 5 I Af k 53mm 4477, INVENTOR 9' Jam? A S/00,9

ATTORNEY PATENTEDJM 21975 3,708 113 sum 2 or 5 PATENTEBJAN ems 3.708.113

sum u 0F 5 PRICE INDICATION APPARATUS IN WHICH UNIT PRICE SETTING ISCIIANGEABLE FROM OUTSIDE This invention relates to a price indicationapparatus in which a unit price can be variably set, and moreparticularly, to an apparatus which can be used for, for example, a fuelsupplying apparatus and is capable of changing the setting of a priceper a unit measured flow quantity of a fluid (hereinafter referred to asunit price) from outside of the apparatus. The price indicationapparatus indicates the total price which is resulted from thecomputation of the measured flow quantity and the unit price.

There has been proposed and used a price indication apparatus used inthe fuel supplying apparatus which is capable of multiplying the unitprice by a supply quantity and indicating the price of the fuel sold.

There sometimes arises a necessity in a fuel supplying station to changethe unit price depending upon the kind of customer, for example, acustomer who boys the fuel in cash and a customer who buys the fuel incredit. Further, the unit price differs according to the area where thefuel supplying apparatus is used, and also according to the kind of fuelsuch as regular gasoline, high octane gasoline etc. Accordingly, thesetting of the.unit price on the basis of which computation is performedmust be changed in these cases.

If there is necessity for changing the setting of the unit price forvarious reasons as described above in the conventional price indicationapparatus, the shell or casing of the fuel supplying apparatus is openedand then the casing of a computer where the operation is performed isopened. Then a unit price setting lever provided in the unit pricesetting mechanism must be manually operated for changing the set unitprice. Consequently, the unit price setting changing operation requiresa very complicated and troublesome work.

It is therefore a general object of this invention to eliminate theabove described disadvantage and provide a novel and useful priceindication apparatus which is capable of changing the unit pricesetting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a price indicationapparatus having a unit price setting changing mechanism'in which thechanging of the unit price setting can be made by a single operationpart and from outside of the shell or casing. The unit price settingchanging operation can be made easily by a rectilinear displacement androtation of an operation rod provided in the aforementioned operationpart. According to the invention, the unit price setting changingoperation is made from outside of the shell or casing, so that it is nolonger necessary to open the casing as in the prior art apparatus.Further, the provision-of the single operation part enables the operatorto operate it singlehanded.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unit price settingchanging mechanism in which rotation of the operation rod of theoperation part for changing the unit price setting is not transmittedunless the operation rod is displaced by a predetermined distance. Byadopting this construction, the unit price setting lever and gears donot receive rotational force for changing the setting before they arereleased from their engagements, so that damage on the lever or gearsdue to excessive force applied thereto can be effectively prevented.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a unit pricesetting changing mechanism having a mechanism for holding the operationrod of the operation part temporally in its displaced position. Thisconstruction greatly facilitates the operation for rotating theoperation rod.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe description made hereinbelow in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one example of a fuel supplyingapparatus incorporating the apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a price indication apparatusincorporating one embodiment of a unit price setting changing mechanismaccording to the invention with its casing removed for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the operation part of the price settingchanging mechanism with a part thereof removed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the essential part of themechanism according tothe invention employed in the apparatus shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional plan view of the clutch portion of theoperation part shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the lever portion of the operationpart;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of one modification of the leverportion; and

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of another embodiment of the pricesetting changing mechanism according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fuel supplying apparatus ofa generally employed type in which the price indication apparatusincorporating the unit price setting changing mechanism according to theinvention is provided. Within a shell 10 which constitutes a gasolinestation post, there are provided a pump, a motor, a flowmeter etc. (notshown) of a known type and, on a table 11, there is provided a flowquantityprice computing unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as a computer)to be described later. On the computer 12, there is provided anindicator 13 having a price indication part 14, a flow quantityindication part 15 and a unit price indication part 16. The indicationparts 14, 15 and 16 are disposed at positions which are visible from thefront of the shell 10. On one side of the shell 10, there are providedprotruding knobs 18a, 18b and 180 of operation parts 17a, 17b and 17c ofthe unit price setting changing mechanism to be described later, whichoperation parts 17a, 17b and 17c extend horizontally through the shell10. In the'present embodiment, the unit price indication part 16consists of three figure wheels which are capable of indicating 'a unitprice of three figures. The three operation parts 17a, 17b and areprovided for changing the setting of each figure of the unit price.

FIG. 2 illustrates a price indication apparatus incorporating oneembodiment of the unit price setting changing mechanism according to theinvention. The price indication apparatus 20 is generally composed of aknown computer part 21, a price indication part 22 and a unit pricesetting changing mechanism 23 embodying the present invention. When thefuel supplying apparatus is operated to supply a required fuel, aflowmeter 24 measures flow quantity of the supplied fuel.

The output revolutions which are the result of the measurement by theflowmeter 24 are transmitted to a cone gear 26 through a shaft 25. Thecone gear 26 consists of nine gear portions having sequentiallydifferent diameters and has a substantially conical shape. A gear 27 forsetting the figure of the first order of the unit price is rotatablymounted on a support plate 29 loosely fitted to a shaft 28 and iscapable of meshing with the cone gear 26. A gear 30 which is in meshwith the gear 27 is supported on the shaft 28. A key provided on thegear 30 is in engagement with a spline 31 formed vertically on the shaft28 and, accordingly, the gear 30 is vertically slidable relative to theshaft 28 while it causes the shaft 28 to rotate integrally therewithwhen it is rotated. A gear 32 fixedly mounted on the upper portion ofthe shaft 28 is in mesh with an integrator gear 34 which is one ofplanetary gear group 33.

A gear 35 for setting the figure of the second order of the unit pricehas the same construction as the gear 27 for setting the figure of thefirst order. A shaft 36 is rotated in the same manner as the shaft 28when it receives rotational force from the gear 35. A gear 37 fixedlymounted on the shaft 36 is in mesh with an integrator gear 38 which isone of planetary gear group 33. With respect to the figure of the thirdorder, gears and other elements are arranged, though not shown in thefigure, in the same manner as described above with respect to thefigures of the first and second orders.

The revolutions of the cone gear 26 are transmitted to the planetarygear group 33 through the gears 27, 35, 32, 37 etc. The planetary geargroup 33 effects multiplication of the flow quantity transmitted fromthe flowmeter 24 through the shaft 25 and the unit price set accordingto the heights of meshing engagement of the gears 27, 35 etc. with thecone gear 26. The output revolutions which are the result of computationin the planetary gear group 33 are obtained from shafts 39 and 40. Therevolutions of the shaft 39 are transmitted to gear train 41, and theprice is indicated on the indication part 14. The revolutions of theshaft 40 are transmitted to gear train 42, and the quantity is indicatedon the indication part 15. I

A unit price setting lever 43 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is fixed at one endthereof to the support plate 29, and has a spirally bent shape. The unitprice setting lever 43 is formed with ten slots 44 each of which has aninverted U or an inverted V shape at the bottom edge thereof and isrespectively marked with graduation of 1, 2, 3, 9 and corresponding tothe slots. On a base 45, there is fixedly mounted a projection 46 havinga predetermined height. The foremost end portion of the projection 46 isshaped to engage in either one of the slots 44. The height of the lever43 is set according to the number of the slot with which the projection46 engages. When the height of the lever 43 is set, the height of thegear 27 is set. The setting of the height of the gear 27 determines oneparticular gear portion I among the nine stepped gear portions of thecone gear 26 with which the gear 27 meshes. When the projection 46 inengagement with the slot marked 0 of the lever 43, the gear 27 is spacedapart from the cone gear 26.

As described in the foregoing, setting of one particular slot 44 of thelever 43 with which the projection 46 meshes determines one particulargear portion among the stepped gear portions of the cone gear 26 withwhich the gear 27 meshes. Accordingly, a gear ratio between the conegear 26 and the gear 27 is determined by the above described setting.This in turn determines a rotation ratio between the gear 32 and theplanetary gear group 33 resulting in setting of computation coefficient.Consequently, the price obtained as a result of computation differsaccording to the setting of the unit price even though the flow quantityis the same.

In the conventional apparatus, if it is desired to change the setting ofthe unit price, the cover provided on one side of the shell 10 isopened, the casing protecting the computer 21 (12 in FIG. 1) is removedand the unit price setting lever 43 is manually lifted and rotated tohave its desired slot 44 engaged with the projection 46. This operationfor changing the setting of the unit price has entailed a rathercomplicated and time-consuming work. This invention has facilitated theoperation for changing the setting of the unit price by conducting theoperation from outside of the shell 10 through a single operation part.

Now the construction of the essential part of the apparatus according tothe invention will be described. In FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, horizontal shafts50 and 51 of the operation part 23 for changing the unit price settingare connected in one shaft by means of a clutch 52 to be describedlater. The shaft 50 is provided with a flangelike spring shoe 53. Aspring 55 is provided between the spring shoe 53 and a fixed bearingplate 54 on which the shaft 50 is rotatably supported. In the middle ofthe shaft 50, there is formed a rack 56 along the whole circumference ofthe shaft 50. A pinion 57 meshes with the rack 56, and is rotated by themovement of the rack 56 in the direction of arrow A or B. The rotationof the pinion 57 is transmitted to a gear 60 through a shaft 58 and agear 59. A rack rod 61 is formed with a rack 62 which meshes with thegear 60 and is vertically moved. One end of an arm 63 is fixed to theupper end of the rack rod 61. The other end of the arm 63 is looselyengaged with the shaft 28 under the lower. surface of the boss of thegear 30. The arm 63 is slidable -relative to the shaft 28 and allowsunobstructed rotation of the shaft 28.

A gear 64 is loosely fitted on the shaft 50. A collar portion of a bossof the gear 64 is joumalled on a bearing 65. A pawl wheel 66 is fixedlymounted on the gear 64. The gear 64 and the pawl wheel 66 are rotatablysupported but prevented from an axial movement by the bearing 65. A pawlwheel 67 having projections which mesh with the pawl wheel 66 is fittedon the shaft 50. A pin 68 provided on the shaft 50 engages in a groove69 formed in the pawl wheel 67. A spring 71 is provided between a springshoe fixed to the end of the shaft 50 and the pawl wheel 67.

A gear 72 meshes with the gear 64. The rotational force of the gear 72is transmitted to a gear 74 through a shaft 73. The gear 74 meshes witha gear 75 which is loosely fitted on the shaft 28. A plate 76 which isrotated integrally with the gear 75 is loosely fitted on the shaft 28. Aguide plate 77 is engaged with the plate 76 so as to be rotatedintegrally therewith and its ends are loosely fitted on the shaft 28. Onthe upper portion of the guide plate 77, there is provided a lever 78 inthe form of a leaf spring which has a ball 79. The ball 79 engages inone of the recesses of a position control plate 81 which has tenrecesses and is supported on a supporting post 80. The guide plate 77 isengaged with the support plate 29 so that the support plate 29 isvertically slidable with respect to the guide plate 77 and the guideplate 77 is rotatable around the shaft 28 integrally with the supportplate 29.

The shaft 51 slidably extends through the shell and is provided with anoperation knob 82 at its end projecting outside of the shell 10.

The clutch 52 for coupling the rods 80 and 51 will now be described withreference to FIG. 5. The clutch 52 generally consists of a clutch member83 fixedly mounted on the rod 50 and a clutch member 84 fixedly mountedon the rod 51. The clutch member 84 has a shape which covers the outerperiphery of the clutch member 83. The clutch member 83 is formed with aspline 85. A spring 86 is inserted between the clutch member 83 and theclutch member 84. A ball 88 which is energized by a spring 87 isprovided in a recess formed in the clutch member 84.

Nextly, the operation of the above described apparatus when it performsthe unit price setting changing operation will be described. Forchanging the unit price setting, the operator pulls the rod 5H by meansof the knob 82 in-the direction ofarrow A as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4.The movement of the rod 51 in the direction of arrow A causes the rod 50to move in the same direction through the clutch 52, compressing thespring 55. The movement of the rod 50 in the direction of arrow A causesthe pinion 57 which is in mesh with the rack 56 to rotate, which in turncauses the gears 59 and 60 to rotate, thereby moving the rack rod 61upwardly. The arm 63 is lifted by the rack rod 61 with its one end beingguided along the shaft 28.

At this time, the gear is pushed upwardly by the arm 63 at the lowersurface thereof and moves upwardly guided along the spline 31 of theshaft 28. The gear 27 is lifted with the gear 30 and the support plate29, so that the gear 27 is disengaged from the cone gear 26.Simultaneously, the unit price setting lever 43 is moved upwardly withthe support plate 29, thereby causing the slot 44 to be disengaged fromthe projection 46. Accordingly, the mere movement of the rods 50 and 51in the direction of arrow A causes the gear 27 and the unit pricesetting lever 43 to move upwardly in preparation for the following unitprice setting changing operation.

- In the meanwhile, the movement of the rod 56- in the direction ofarrow A causes the pawl wheel 67 to move in the same direction by forceof the spring '71 and engage the pawl wheel 66. If the rod 50 is pulledfurther in the direction of arrow A after the pawl wheel 67 has engagedthe pawl wheel 66, the pin 68 is guided along the groove 69 to allowfurther movement of the rod 58,

whereby damages of the pawl wheels 66 and 67 can be avoided.

If the rod 51 is further pulled in the direction of arrow A under theabove described condition, the clutch member 84 is displaced in thedirection of arrow A relative to the clutch member 83, compressing thespring 86. The displacement of the clutch member 84 causes the ball 88energized by the spring 87 to fall into the spline 85. At this time, theclutch members 83 and 84 are coupled through the spline 85 and the ball88 in the direction of rotation of the rods 50 and 51 about their axes.

When the knob 82 is rotated by a predetermined angle according to adesired unit price to be set, the rotation of the rod 51 is transmittedto the rod 50 through the clutch 52 now in engagement. The rotation ofthe rod 50 is transmitted to the gear 64 through the pin 68 and pawlwheels 67 and 66, and further to the gear through the gears 72 and 74.The rotation of the gear 75 causes the plate 76 which is' integraltherewith and the guide plate 77 to rotate about the shaft 28. The guideplate 77 is rotated by an angle which corresponds to the angle ofrotation of the rods 51 and 50 until it click-stops at a position wherethe ball 78 is positioned in the recess of the position control plate81. As the guide plate 77 rotates, the support plate 29 rotates and thegear 27 and the unit price setting lever 43 rotate integrally with thesupport plate 29 about the shaft 28. Accordingly, the gear 27 and theunit price setting lever 43 are rotated by an angle which corresponds tothe angle of rotation of the knob 82. At this stage, the gear 27 assumesa position which is of a height of one of the stepped gear portions ofthe cone gear 26 which corresponds to the desired unit price to be set.The unit price setting lever 43 also assumes a position in which one ofthe slots 44 which corresponds to the desired unit price to be set isengageable with the projection 46. Simultaneously with the rotation ofthe unit price setting lever 43, the figure wheel (not shown) is alsorotated, and the indication of the figure of the first order of the unitprice indicated on the unit price indication part 16 shown in FlG. 1 ischanged.

After the foregoing operation, the knob 82 is released. The clutchmember 84 is displaced relative to the clutch member 83 in the directionof arrow B due to force of the spring 86 within the clutch 52. The ball88 is disengaged from the spline 85, and the clutch 52 returns to thestate as shown in FlG. 5. As a result, the clutch members 84 and 83 aredisengaged, and thereafter the rotation of the rod 51 is not transmittedto the rod 50. The rod 50 is displaced in the direction of arrow B dueto force of the spring 55, whereby the pawl wheels 66 and 67 aredisengaged.

The displacement of the rod 50 in the direction of arrow B causes thegear 57 to rotate through the rack 56 of the rod 56, thereby causing therack rod 61 to move downwardly. As the rack rod 61 moves downwardly, thearm 63 is lowered, and the gears 30 and 27, the support plate 29 and theunit price setting lever 43 are also lowered due to their self weight.At this time, the unit price setting lever 43 has the projection 46engaged in one of the slots 44 which corresponds to the desired unitprice to be set. By the engagement of the lever 43 with the projection46, the downward movement of the lever 43, the support plate 29 and thegear 27 is stopped. At this time, the gear 27 meshes with one of thestepped gear portions of the cone gear 26 corresponding to the desiredunit price to be set which is opposed to the gear 27 at its rotatedposition as described above. The rack rod 61 and the arm 63 are loweredto their lowermost positions according to the amount of displacement ofthe rod 50.

By the foregoing operation, the unit price setting of, for example, thefigure of the first order is completed. As regards the unit pricesetting of the figures of the second and third orders, the unit pricesetting operation parts for the figures of the second and third ordershaving the same construction as the above described operation part forthe figure of the first order are operated in the same manner forchanging the unit price setting.

In the operation part of the above described embodiment, the rod 51 mustbe rotated in the state in which it is being pulled by means of the knob82 in the direction of arrow A. This causes some difficulty in theoperation. Embodiments of operation parts in which this difficulty hasbeen overcome are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In FIG. 6, a lever 100 is fixedly mounted on the end portion of the rod51. A spring pawl 101 is fixed at one end thereof to the rod 51, and theother end thereof is made a free end. The spring pawl 101 has a steppedportion 102 in the middle portion thereof. In the end portion of the rod51, there is provided a pin 103 which serves to fix the lever 100 andsupport a disengaging rod 104 which is rotatable about the pin 103. Oneend of the rod 104 is urged by a spring 105 in a direction in which theend moves away from the lever 100. The other end of the rod 104 isconstantly pushing the free end of the spring pawl 101 by force of thespring 105. A stopper 106 is mounted on the frame of the apparatus so asto engage with the stepped portion 102 of the spring pawl 101 thereby toprevent returning of the rod 51 in the direction of arrow B.

When the lever 100 is pulled in the direction of arrow A with thedisengaging rod 104, the stepped portion 102 of the spring pawl 101 isbrought into abutting engagement with the stopper 106, whereby the rod51 is held in its displaced position. Accordingly, after the operatorreleases the lever 100, the rod 51 remains in its displaced position andthe clutch 52 remains in the engaged state. This facilitates thesubsequent operation for rotating the rod 51. When it is desired todisengage the spring pawl 101 from the stopper 106, the disengaging rod104 is rotated about the pin 103 against the force of the spring 105.

FIG. 7 shows a modification of the lever portion shown in FIG. 6. InFIGS. 6 and 7, the same elements are designated by the same referencenumerals and the description thereof will be omitted. A lever 107 isrotatably mounted on a pin 108 provided on the end portion of the rod51. When the lever 107 is pulled in the direction of arrow A with therod 51, the stepped portion 102 of the spring pawl 101 is engaged withthe stopper 106. If this engagement is to be released, the

lever 107 is rotated.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the unit price setting changingmechanism according to the invention. In FIGS. 2, 4 and 8, the samecomponents are designated by the same reference numerals and thedescription thereof will be omitted.

At one end 150a of an operating rod 150, there is fixedly mounted a knob151. The other end 150b of the rod 150 is in abutting engagement'withone end of a pushing plate 152. A gear 153 is a screw gear having ahollow portion through which the operating rod 150 extends. A key 155provided on the internal surface of the screw gear 153 is fitted in aspline 154 formed in the operating rod 150. By this arrangement, theoperating rod 150 is axially displaceable relative to the screw gear 153whereas it is rotatable about its axis integrally with the screw gear153 through engagement of the key 155 with the spline 154. A clutch 156which also serves as a stopper is provided in the middle of theoperating rod 150. A projection portion 157 of the clutch 156 has ashape which fits into a recess 158 formed in the gear 153. A stopper 159fixed to the frame prevents an axial displacement of the gear 153.

The pushing plate 152 is substantially V-shaped in its side view withits one plate portion 152a disposed horizontally and the other plateportion 152b disposed obliquely. The pushing plate 152 is displaceablealong a guide 160 without being rotated. The pushing plate 152 receivesat its bent portion force acting to move it in the direction of arrow Adue to a spring 162 stretched between the bent portion and the frame161. A lever 163 having an inverted L-shape consists of an arm 163awhich is engageable at its lower end with the plate portion 152b whichserves as a lifting portion and an arm 163!) which is loosely fitted onthe shaft 28. A cylindrical gear 164 loosely fitted on the shaft 28 andis fixedly mounted on the support plate 29. The arm 163b of the lever163 is engageable with the lower surface of the gear 164.

A shaft 165 extending through the base 45 is fixedly provided at thelower end thereof with a gear 166 which meshes with the gear 153, and atthe upper end thereof with a gear 167. The gear 167 meshes with thecylindrical gear 164. A stopper 168 is fixedly mounted in the middleportion of the shaft 165. The stopper 168 is in abutting engagement withthe lower surface of the base 45. The shaft 165 is restrained in itsvertical displacement by means of the stoppers 168 and 159.

Nextly, the operation of the above described mechanism during the unitprice setting changing operation will be described. In changing the unitprice setting, the operator pushes the operating rod 150 by the knob 151in the direction of arrow B against the resilient force of the spring162 until the projecting portion 157 of the clutch 156 fits in therecess 158. The movement of the operating rod 150 in the direction ofarrow B causes the pushing plate 152 to move in the same direction. Asthe pushing plate 152 moves, the lifting portion 152b which is inabutting engagement with the lower end of the arm 163a of the lever 163lifts the lever 163 along the slope thereof. The lever 163 which is inabutting engagement with the lower surface of the gear 164 lifts thegear 164, the support plate29 and the gears 27 and 30 simultaneously. Atthis time, the gear 164, thesupport plate 29 and the gears 27 and 30 arelifted without being rotated, guided by means of the key provided on thegear 30 and the spline 31 formed on the shaft 28. Consequently, the gear27 is disengaged from the cone gear 26. Simultaneously, the unit pricesetting lever 43 moves upwardly with the support plate 29 therebydisengaging the slot 44 from the projection 46. Accordingly, the meremovement of the operating rod 150 and the pushing plate 152 in thedirection of arrow B enables the gear 27 and the unit price settinglever 43 to move upwardly in preparation for the following operation forchanging the unit price setting.

Under the above described condition, the operating rod 150 is rotated bymeans of the knob 151 by an angle correspondingto the desired unit priceto be set. The rotation 'of the operating rod 150 is transmitted to thegear 153 through the clutch 156 which is in engagement with the gear153. The rotation of the gear 153 is transmitted to the gear 164 throughthe gear 166, the

shaft 165 and the gear 167, whereby the gear 164 is rotated by apredetermined angle. As the gear 164 rotates, the support plate 29, theunit price setting lever 43 and the gear 27 rotate simultaneously withthe gear 164 by a predetermined angle. By this rotation, the gear 27assumes a position which is of a height of one of the stepped gearportions of the cone gear 26 which corresponds to the desired unit priceto be set. The unit price setting lever 43 also assumes a position inwhich one of the slots 44 which corresponds to the desired unit price tobe set is engageable with the projection 46.

After the foregoing operation, the operator releases the knob 151. Thepushing plate 152 and the operating rod 150 are displaced in thedirection of arrow A by the resilient force of the spring 162 and returnto their initial positions. As the operating rod 150 moves in thedirection of arrow A, the clutch 156 is moved away from the gear 153,and the projecting portion 157 of the clutch 156 is disengaged from therecess 158, whereby the clutch 156 is released from its engagement withthe gear 153. Accordingly, even if the knob 151 is erroneously rotatedthereafter, the gear 153 is not rotated. Therefore, damage on therotation transmission mechanism subsequent to the gear 153 will beavoided. The movement of the pushing plate 152 in the direction of arrowA causes the lever 163 to move downwardly due to its self weight alongthe slope of the lifting portion l52b. The gear 164, the support plate29, the gears 27 and 30 and the unit price setting lever 43 movedownwardly due to their self weight. At this time, the unit pricesetting lever 43 has one of its slots 44 which corresponds to thedesired unit price to be set engaged with the projection 46. By theengagements of the lever 43 with the projection 46, the downwardmovement of the lever 43, the support plate 29 and the gears 27, 30 and164 are stopped. At this time, the gear 27 meshes with one of thestepped gear portions of the cone gear 26 corresponding to the desiredunit price to be set which is opposed to the gear 27 at its rotatedposition as described above.

The operations for setting other figures are made in the same manner asdescribed above by operating an 7 operating part for each figure whichhas the same construction as the operating part described above.

This invention is not limited to the above described embodimentsbutvarious variations and modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A price indication apparatus in which setting of a unit price ischangeable comprising:

, a computer part comprising a cone gear which consists of a pluralityof gear portions each having a different number of teeth and is revolvedaccording. to the measured flow quantity of the fluid, unit pricesetting gears provided for each figure of the unit price to be set eachof which gears meshes with one of the gear portions of said cone gearcorresponding to the unit price to be set, shafts each of which isrevolved by the revolution of each of said unit price setting gears andguides said'gear vertically slidably, a planetary gear group which isrevolved by a rotational force transmitted by each of said shafts andsubstantially effects computation of said measured flow quantity and theset unit price, and unit price setting levers each of which is providedso as to slide vertically guided by said shaft and integrally with saidunit price setting gear and rotate about said shaft, said lever beingcontrolled in its height by engaging with a projection fixed to theframe of the apparatus, whereby the gear portion of said cone gear to bemeshed with said unit price setting gear is selected;

price indication part for taking out the result of operation in saidcomputer part from the output of said planetary gear group andindicating it as a total price; and an operation part for changing theset unit price provided for each figure of the unit price to be setcomprising an operation knob, an operating rod provided at one endthereof with said operation knob and held in a horizontally movableposition, means for converting the horizontally moving force of saidoperating rod into a vertically moving force, means for lifting saidunit price setting gear and said unit price setting lever along saidshaft by said vertically moving force obtained by said converting means,means for taking out and transmitting a rotational force of saidoperating rod during its rotation about its axis, and means for rotatingsaid unit price setting gear and said unit price setting lever about theaxis of said shaft by the rotational force received from said means fortransmitting the rotational force;

wherein said operating rod being rotated by an angle corresponding tothe desired unit price to be set thereby to rotate said unit pricesetting gear to a position opposed to the gear portion of said cone gearcorresponding to the desired unit price to be set, and said unit pricesetting gear and said unit price setting lever being lowered by returnof said operating rod to its initial position before its movement andrespectively engaged with the gear portion of said cone gear and saidprojection.

2. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein saidoperation part for changing the unit price setting further comprises aspring which is energized by the horizontal movement of said operatingrod, said spring causing said operating rod to return to its initialposition when said operating rod is released from the moving forceacting thereon thereby causing said unit price setting gear and saidunit price setting lever to move downwardly due to their self weight.

3. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 1 in a fuelsupplying apparatus having a casing which covers said apparatus,wherein-said operating rod extends through said casing and saidoperating knob is provided outside of said casing.

4. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein saidoperating rod of said operation part for changing the set unit price hasa rack portion, said lifting means consists of a rack rod which isvertically movable and an arm which is vertically movable integrallywith said rack rod and lifts said unit price setting gear and said unitprice setting lever, and said means for converting moving force consistsof a first gear which meshes with said rack portion of the operating rodthereby converting the horizontal movement into a rotational movementand a second gear which meshes with the rack of said rack rod and liftssaid rack rod vertically when it is rotated by the rotational force ofsaid first gear.

5. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein saidoperation part for changing the unit price setting further comprisescoupling means for coupling, in the direction of rotation of saidoperating rod, said operating rod and said means for transmitting therotational force when said operating rod has moved by a predetermineddistance.

6. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein saidoperating rod consists of a first operating rod provided with saidoperating knob and a second operating rod aligned with said firstoperating rod, and said operation part for changing the unit pricesetting comprises a first coupling means for coupling said firstoperating rod and said second operating rod in the direction of rotationof said operating rod about its axis when said first operating rod hasmoved by a first predetermined distance relative to said secondoperating rod and a second coupling means for coupling said secondoperating rod and said means for transmitting the rotational force inthe direction of rotation of said operating rod about its axis when saidsecond operating rod has moved by a secondpredetermined distance.

7. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein saidoperation part for changing the set unit price further comprises aretaining means for retaining said operating rod in its horizontallydisplaced position against force of said spring.

8. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein saidoperating rod of said operation part for changing the set unit price hasa sloping portion and said lifting means consists of a lever which is inabutting engagement with said sloping portion and is moved up wardly bythe movement of said operating rod causing said unit price setting gearand said unit price setting lever to move upwardly.

1. A price indication apparatus in which setting of a unit price ischangeable comprising: a computer part comprising a cone gear whichconsists of a plurality of gear portions each having a different numberof teeth and is revolved according to the measured flow quantity of thefluid, unit price setting gears provided for each figure of the unitprice to be set each of which gears meshes with one of the gear portionsof said cone gear corresponding to the unit price to be set, shafts eachof which is revolved by the revolution of each of said unit pricesetting gears and guides saiD gear vertically slidably, a planetary geargroup which is revolved by a rotational force transmitted by each ofsaid shafts and substantially effects computation of said measured flowquantity and the set unit price, and unit price setting levers each ofwhich is provided so as to slide vertically guided by said shaft andintegrally with said unit price setting gear and rotate about saidshaft, said lever being controlled in its height by engaging with aprojection fixed to the frame of the apparatus, whereby the gear portionof said cone gear to be meshed with said unit price setting gear isselected; a price indication part for taking out the result of operationin said computer part from the output of said planetary gear group andindicating it as a total price; and an operation part for changing theset unit price provided for each figure of the unit price to be setcomprising an operation knob, an operating rod provided at one endthereof with said operation knob and held in a horizontally movableposition, means for converting the horizontally moving force of saidoperating rod into a vertically moving force, means for lifting saidunit price setting gear and said unit price setting lever along saidshaft by said vertically moving force obtained by said converting means,means for taking out and transmitting a rotational force of saidoperating rod during its rotation about its axis, and means for rotatingsaid unit price setting gear and said unit price setting lever about theaxis of said shaft by the rotational force received from said means fortransmitting the rotational force; wherein said operating rod beingrotated by an angle corresponding to the desired unit price to be setthereby to rotate said unit price setting gear to a position opposed tothe gear portion of said cone gear corresponding to the desired unitprice to be set, and said unit price setting gear and said unit pricesetting lever being lowered by return of said operating rod to itsinitial position before its movement and respectively engaged with thegear portion of said cone gear and said projection.
 2. The priceindication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said operation partfor changing the unit price setting further comprises a spring which isenergized by the horizontal movement of said operating rod, said springcausing said operating rod to return to its initial position when saidoperating rod is released from the moving force acting thereon therebycausing said unit price setting gear and said unit price setting leverto move downwardly due to their self weight.
 3. The price indicationapparatus as defined in claim 1 in a fuel supplying apparatus having acasing which covers said apparatus, wherein said operating rod extendsthrough said casing and said operating knob is provided outside of saidcasing.
 4. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid operating rod of said operation part for changing the set unitprice has a rack portion, said lifting means consists of a rack rodwhich is vertically movable and an arm which is vertically movableintegrally with said rack rod and lifts said unit price setting gear andsaid unit price setting lever, and said means for converting movingforce consists of a first gear which meshes with said rack portion ofthe operating rod thereby converting the horizontal movement into arotational movement and a second gear which meshes with the rack of saidrack rod and lifts said rack rod vertically when it is rotated by therotational force of said first gear.
 5. The price indication apparatusas defined in claim 1, wherein said operation part for changing the unitprice setting further comprises coupling means for coupling, in thedirection of rotation of said operating rod, said operating rod and saidmeans for transmitting the rotational force when said operating rod hasmoved by a predetermined distance.
 6. The price indication apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein said operating rod consIsts of a firstoperating rod provided with said operating knob and a second operatingrod aligned with said first operating rod, and said operation part forchanging the unit price setting comprises a first coupling means forcoupling said first operating rod and said second operating rod in thedirection of rotation of said operating rod about its axis when saidfirst operating rod has moved by a first predetermined distance relativeto said second operating rod and a second coupling means for couplingsaid second operating rod and said means for transmitting the rotationalforce in the direction of rotation of said operating rod about its axiswhen said second operating rod has moved by a second predetermineddistance.
 7. The price indication apparatus as defined in claim 2,wherein said operation part for changing the set unit price furthercomprises a retaining means for retaining said operating rod in itshorizontally displaced position against force of said spring.
 8. Theprice indication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said operatingrod of said operation part for changing the set unit price has a slopingportion and said lifting means consists of a lever which is in abuttingengagement with said sloping portion and is moved upwardly by themovement of said operating rod causing said unit price setting gear andsaid unit price setting lever to move upwardly.